Rolling Stock of MÁV-TRAKCIÓ Co.

A typical feature of rail traffic is that only a single group of railway vehicles, specifically traction vehicles, have the machinery in place that is necessary for hauling themselves and any other vehicles attached (i.e., for overcoming the resistance of vehicles to forward motion). During the history of railway development, several locomotive types were born. With the advance of technology, ever newer engines were built into locomotives. New driving and traction systems also evolved. With a view to performing various tasks of traction, specialised constructions were developed to meet individual demands.

Traction vehicles are basically of two types:

• locomotives (not suitable for transporting goods or persons);
• multiple units (suitable for transporting persons).

With regard to the fact that MÁV-TRAKCIÓ Co.’s fleet of traction vehicles exclusively consists of locomotives, the types of multiple units shall not be described below.

Types of rolling stock can be categorised within the following dimensions:

• the engine applied,
• the traction task performed,
• the track gauge,
• characteristics of the rail track,
• the manner of exertion of tractive power.

The task of the locomotive engine is to convert the energy – stored in, or retrieved from, an energy resource – into mechanical work necessary for the locomotive to perform its task. Regarding the energy supply of the engine, there is a significant difference between locomotives with heat engines (gas, diesel or gas turbine) on the one hand and electric locomotives on the other. In the first case, chemical energy stored in the primary energy source (the fuel) transported by the locomotive is converted into mechanical work at the same place, by means of the in-built heat engine. The electricity required for work is received by electric locomotives on route, from the tractive electricity network designed specifically for this purpose.